Bows are knots formed from a piece of material such as string, yarn, or ribbon and have two opposed loops and corresponding loose ends. Bows are often tied around a portion of an object to close an opening of the object. For example, a bow can be tied around a portion of a bag to secure items placed in the bag. A bow may also be tied around an object to increase the aesthetic appeal of an object. For example, a bow may be tied around a box or other container. Once tied around an object, bows are easily untied by pulling one or both of the loose ends.
Previous systems for tying bows typically relied on one of two approaches; each of which has their own disadvantages and fails to yield satisfactory results. In the first approach, the bow is manually tied around the object by a user. Manual tying of bows is a time-intensive and costly procedure. As such, this approach is ill-suited for use in a production environment.
In the second approach, a bow-like arrangement is formed by folding a piece of material multiple times over itself such that the material appears to be in a looped configuration. The bow-like arrangement is then glued or otherwise set in the looped configuration and affixed to the object. As the arrangement is not a bow, it cannot be untied by pulling one of the loose ends of the material. Moreover, the bow-like arrangement is merely affixed to the object, and is not tied around the object. Examples of such bow-like arrangements include those often placed on wrapped gifts or presents.
This Background section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.